A ship fully loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) has passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the Middle East war virtually closed the route in early March, marine tracking firm Kpler said Monday. The LNG carrier Mubaraz, operated by the Emirati national oil company Adnoc, left the Gulf sometime in April with 132,890 cubic meters of LNG on board, having loaded at Das Island in the United Arab Emirates on March 2, according to Kpler data analyzed by AFP. JOIN US ON TELEGRAM Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Iranian forces virtually closed off the strait after the US and Israel launched strikes on the Islamic republic on Feb. 28, prompting it to retaliate across the region. After peace talks with Iran failed, the US on April 13 launched a counter-blockade, turning back ships coming from Iranian ports and boarding others in Asia, including two oil tankers. The Mubaraz switched off its AIS transponder at the end of March for a month, before transmitting again off the coast of India on Monday. “It could be the case that the vessel managed to cross the strait during the weekend of April 18-19, when multiple vessels attempted to cross the strait (including seven LNG tankers), however this is not yet confirmed,” Kpler analyst Charles Costerousse said in a note. The Sohar LNG was the only LNG carrier to have previously crossed the strait since March 1, but it was empty or very lightly loaded. The LNG market, in which Qatar is one of the main players, is among the hardest hit by the traffic restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. US-Iran Deal Could Begin With Return to Pre-War Status Quo Around 20 percent of global LNG trade normally transits the strait in peacetime. Trackers and media have in recent days reported several Iranian oil tankers stationary near the strait in a possible indication that the US blockade was preventing them from shipping oil out. Ship trackers identified the Nasha, an old Iranian oil supertanker recently brought back into service, as stationary in the Gulf. News agency Bloomberg said the Nasha was loaded with two million barrels of oil. They also reported a cluster of other tankers off the Iranian port of Chabahar, west of the strait towards the US blockade line. Specialised site TankerTrackers said 20 Iranian tankers without cargo were available for loading, but Bloomberg said the total number was not clear. Regular tracking platforms indicated that the ships’ transponders were switched off. You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
A ship fully loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) has passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the Middle East war virtually closed the route in early March, marine tracking firm Kpler said Monday. The LNG carrier Mubaraz, operated by the Emirati national o…
See this event through different lenses
Compare how Western, Iranian, Israeli, Global South, and Pro-Peace perspectives frame this event.
Compare PerspectivesLoading notes...
A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.
Iranian officials reported strikes on US radar and air defense sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, along with the interception of two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States conducted strikes on Iranian targets following the deaths of three US soldiers, with the Pentagon stating the actions aimed to degrade capabilities affecting shipping.
Houthi forces in Yemen announced plans to blockade Saudi ports, while both US and Iranian leaders issued statements on further escalation.